//------------------------------//
// Chapter 45 - Needle The Unicorn 
// Story: The Stereotypical Drafts 
// by JinxTJL 
//------------------------------//

"I'm just fine, thank you," he retorted, and Nightmare Moon only smiled humorously at him. Because She was not threatened, or offended, or unamused, because he was just her little plaything, wasn't he!?

...Well, yeah, he kind of was.


////////// Bridge //////////


He sighed, and redoubled his repentant stare. "I'm sorry for getting distracted," he recited blandly: making sure to keep his eyes on hers. "I was wrong to get so caught up in my own head, and overthinking things will not help me progress."

The air was tense with the heavy weight of Her unimpressed stare, yet impossibly light with the underlying humor of his drill-like monotone. It was a stark dichotomy that almost made him want to crack up himself, except that his ability to feel humor was long dead and She would plant his head on a spike for daring to laugh in Her presence. Or something.

Yet after only another moment, Her frown rose into a smile, and She nodded. "It is a very good thing to find your humility." Her smile rose further: once again showing the tips of her freakishly sharp teeth. "Yet, it is another thing entirely to give yourself up for the schoolfoal you are."

His inexpressive expression fell to a muted glower as She threw Her head back and cackled at Her own joke. It went on for longer than it ever karmically should've, before She threw her head back down, and fixed Her eyes on him through Her rolling chuckles. "The absolute confidence with which you parroted your sweet little apology merely made it all the sweeter how absolutely meek it was!"

She'd said it between laughs, and then She threw Her head back and began to laugh all over again. Over and over Her voice raised in merriment, and just as he rolled his eyes and checked the window, she seemed to begin to peter off: before she found her seeming fifth wind, and continued gaily crowing.

It went on for longer than he'd care to remember.